03/02/2006

Adriana Chiesa Di Palma has stepped down as board member and CEO of AIP Filmitalia, citing as her reason the financial cuts to the agency whose job it is to promote the Italian film and audiovisual industries throughout the world.

"I felt my actions were inevitable, ethical and extremely professionally,” explained Adriana Chiesa in a written statement, “given the impossibility in fulfilling the Filmitalia mission. The company was denied resources suitable to its marketing activities, not only in culturally affirming our cinema throughout the world, but also in creating those conditions necessary to the distribution, circulation and commercialization of our films. With my resignation, I intend to stress the grave situation of our film industry ".

So far, Filmitalia, which is controlled by Cinecittà Holding, has reportedly only been given funds for its staff and general expenses for 2006, not for its activities. In 2005, it had a budget of €1.7m. In recent weeks, producer Riccardo Tozzi (Cattleya) and director Cristina Comencini publicly criticized the lack of support for their film Don’t Tell in its race for the Oscar. Said AIP Filmitalia president Giovanni Galoppi in response: "France has a budget ten times our own".

(Translated from Italian)